Knitting defense

In your recent story about the new active senior, knitters were denigrated, intimating we just sit in our chairs and knit. Why use such a hackneyed metaphor? Do you think that knitters are sedentary, old, wizened and passive? Let me tell you about today’s knitter.

Here is what we do:

l create objects, sweaters, blankets and anything else,

l knit for charities, chemo caps, and international causes,

l yarn bomb,

l gather and talk and solve the world problems while supporting each other.

We do LOTS of different crafts. We support many local causes and stores! We could be your next-door neighbor.

We keep our brains active with the very technical act of knitting. We are men and women of a wide range of ages and educational levels who create, make and do! We are artists, crafters, makers and doers and we are a movement.

If you have knit, spun, woven anything, you know there is a steep learning curve. We’ll help you learn. You can practice with us! Are you aware that the cool scarf or fingerless mittens you will soon be wearing came from someone’s creativity and technical skill?

Get off your chair to visit one of the many knitting circles in the city of Lawrence. You’ll find a vibrant, active and cooperative community!

Hurray for you.... I love to knit, but the older I get the more limited is the time I can knit without my hands and arms dealing me fits. I am self taught, and used to make wool socks for my dad. Knitting is a fun, relaxing, form of arts and crafts. The wonderful patterns and designs one can create seem endless. Go knitters!

I'm not sure what I said in this removed post, but clearly, it was in response to another post that was removed, making this post appear to be in reply to number3of5's post. With the resulting changed context, the entire meaning of my post was changed. Regardless, I said nothing in my posts on this article that violated the terms of agreement.

Clearly, there are significant problems with the threading on this forum, especially when posts get removed.

And yet people took the time to read and comment even though they don't care.

Thank you for your interesting letter. I just talked to someone yesterday who buys stuff at the local thrift shop and makes all kinds of interesting things to sell at her church bazaar. Good job using your creativity and being useful at the same time.

Lawrence has a yarn shop that is widely known as one of the best---actually bringing customers into town from a distance. So, knitters help the local economy.

Knitting is an abomination and has been responsible for more deaths than dying through all of history. It will also steal your food, sleep with your spouse and is secretly racist and has ties to the Taliban, Al-Quaida, and the Westboro Baptist Church.

Knitting must be stopped before it performs another illegal abortion on elderly voters from Mexico without proper ID.

Here is the quote, I don't see any derision: “We can be active mentally and physically, have fun, be involved in social issues, go to the gym … they’re not necessarily sitting in a chair knitting.”

I see no disdain for knitting, only a comparison between it and more active pastimes. No doubt there are many awesome benefits to knitting, but it is a sedentary activity by nature. I'm sure she could've gotten the LJW to do a little fluff piece on the 'new knitter' if she wanted, rather than act like she's 'offended' by the reference. Dumb.

They are knitting cute, googly eyed little pink uteri and sending them to anti-choice governors (and yes, this includes Sam Brownback) as a political statement on reproductive rights, so they can have one of their own to toy and play with instead of those of other women.